1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lid for a mobile communication terminal as well as a mobile communication terminal provided with the lid, and particularly to a lid covering a charging terminal of a mobile communication terminal, an earphone microphone, a memory card slot or the like as well as a mobile communication terminal provided with the lid.
2. Description of the Background Art
A conventional mobile terminal is provided with a charging terminal, a terminal for connecting an earphone microphone and a mechanism (terminal) for mounting a memory card. These terminals and the memory card are not always used, and are configured to cover the terminals for preventing dust, water and corrosion when these are not used. Terminal covers of various structures have been proposed.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-017008 has disclosed a hinged lid as shown in FIG. 25. Referring to FIG. 25, a hinged lid 100 is formed of a lid body 102 and a hinge 103. Lid body 102 has is a plate-like member having sizes enough to cover an opening of a battery casing 104 of an electronic calculator. Lid body 102 is provided at one end of its rear surface with a concavity 106. For covering a terminal, lid body 102 is located in a groove 104a formed at battery casing 104. A hook 105 formed at battery casing 104 is engaged with concavity 106 to prevent lateral (left to right and vice versa) sliding of hinged lid 100. Lid body 102 is provided at the other end of the rear surface with a hook 107 engaged with a concavity 110 formed at battery casing 104. Hinge 103 is a thin sheet-like member, and extends from the end of hook 107 near its rear surface. Hinge 103 is arranged in a hinge accommodating space 108 of battery casing 104, and is provided at its end with a convex stop 109.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-210972 has disclosed a terminal cover shown in FIG. 26. Referring to FIG. 26, a terminal cover 202 has a concave portion 202a for opening terminal cover 202 with a finger engaged with it, a lid portion 202b covering the terminal and a tongue 202c for connecting lid portion 202b to the body. Further, terminal cover 202 integrally has a tip end surface 221 of tongue 202c, inclined surfaces 222 which are in contact with a boss of a body and are guided thereby when attaching terminal cover 202, an anti-disengagement portion 223 for preventing easy disengagement of terminal cover 202 attached to the body, a guide surface 224 for guiding tongue 202c by the boss of the body in the opening or closing operation and thereby guiding entire terminal cover 202, and an elastic deformation aperture 225 which elastically deforms when attaching terminal cover 202 to the body, and thereby prevents disengagement when a small force is applied, and a terminal guide portion 227 offering a function of guiding the body with respect to the terminal. Terminal cover 202 is formed of an elastic member (e.g., rubber). When terminal cover 202 covers a plug socket (not shown) of the body, lid portion 202b is located in a groove (not shown) of the body.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-141991 has disclosed a connector cover portion and an earphone jack cover portion shown in FIG. 27. Referring to FIG. 27, a lower casing of a mobile phone is formed of a lower front half 320 and a lower rear half 321, and a printed board 324 is arranged in a space defined between lower front half 320 and lower rear half 321. An interface connector 314 arranged at a lower end of printed board 324 and a lower rear half 321 hold a protection member 313 therebetween. A connector cover portion 313a and an earphone jack cover portion 313b are integral with protection member 313. Connector cover portion 313a is located in a groove 316a formed at protection member 313 so that it covers interface connector 314. Likewise, earphone jack cover portion 313b is located in a groove 316b formed at lower front half 320 and a groove 316c formed at lower rear half 321 so that it covers an earphone jack 315.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-190349 has disclosed a terminal cover shown in FIG. 28. Referring to FIG. 28, a terminal cover 401 is integrally formed of a cover body 402 formed of a rectangular flat plate 402, and a hinge (attaching portion) 403 which is formed on one side of cover body 402 and is bent downward. Hinge 403 is formed along one side of cover body 402, is thicker than cover body 402 and is provided at its opposite end surfaces with rotation shafts 403a and 403b projecting therefrom, respectively. A mobile phone body 404 is provided at attaching portions for attaching terminal cover 401 with two shaft holes (not shown) which carry rotation shafts 403a and 403b, and serve as bearing units, respectively. When terminal cover 401 covers a terminal 411, terminal cover 401 is located in a groove 405 formed at mobile phone body 404.
In a conventional terminal cover of further another structure shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, a casing 502 containing electronic parts 510 includes function buttons 519 arranged on a top surface, and a side cabinet 505. A terminal cover 509 for covering a terminal 502a of electronic parts 510 is attached to a groove 507 of side cabinet 505. Terminal cover 509 has a projection 541 protruding outward (upward and downward in FIG. 30) from its side surface. Projection 541 is fitted into a concavity 507a extending upward in FIG. 30 from groove 507 so that terminal cover 509 is located in groove 507. Projection 541 has a contact portion 541a in contact with an inner wall of concavity 507a. Contact portion 541a is closer to a front surface 509b of terminal cover 509 than a rear surface 509a of terminal cover 509. For attaching terminal cover 509, as shown at (a) and (b) in FIG. 32, a user inserts terminal cover 509 into groove 507 while frictionally sliding projection 541 on an inner wall of groove 507. When terminal cover 509 is inserted to a position where rear surface 509a is in contact with a bottom of groove 507, projection 541 is located concavity 507a. 
However, all the terminal covers disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 10-17008, 2001-210972 and 2002-141991 described above are configured such that the terminal is covered only by locating the terminal cover in the opening (groove) formed at the mobile communication terminal. Therefore, it is difficult to locate the terminal cover in the opening, and the terminal cover is liable to lift.
Further, the terminal cover disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-190349 suffers from a similar problem. FIG. 29 shows a manier of opening and closing the terminal cover disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-190349. Referring to FIG. 29, cover body 402 has an engagement projection 407 at its end. For covering the terminal, a user brings engagement projection 407 into contact with an upper end 404a of mobile phone body 404, and pushes cover body 402 downward to fit engagement projection 407 into an engagement concavity 408. In the terminal cover disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-190349, however, terminal cover 401 is provided at its end with engagement projection 407. Therefore, when the user does not push a portion near engagement projection 407, cover body 402 comes into contact with upper end 404a and thereby is curved upward so that the user cannot fit engagement projection 407 into engagement concavity 408. Consequently, it becomes difficult to locate terminal cover 401 in groove 405, and therefore terminal cover 401 is liable to lift.
Further, according to the terminal cover shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the inner wall of groove 507 pulls projection 541 rightward in figures as shown at (a) and (b) in FIG. 33, and projection 541 may continuously undergo a pressing force without entering concavity 507a. In the terminal cover shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, therefore, it is difficult to locate terminal cover 509 in groove 507, and terminal cover 509 is liable to lift.
The above problem that the terminal cover cannot be located in the opening without difficulty, and is liable to lift commonly arises not only in the terminal cover but also in lids employed in mobile communication terminals for covering openings formed at the mobile communication terminals.